Windy City
by elainefr
Summary: Daria and Trent are having major problems in their relationships


"Buy you a drink?"

She didn't bother looking to see who it was. She simply signaled for another after finishing the one that she had. The guy sat beside her at the bar and drank his own. Neither said anything. She could feel the vibration from her phone and knew that it was her best friend, but really there was nothing to be said so she didn't bother picking up. She thought back to earlier conversations that night…

"You wanna tell me something?" she'd asked half-jokingly, half fearful while holding the condom wrapper up. She had been looking for her earring in his old car when she'd come across the offensive paper. He had looked at her with guilty dark eyes and she felt every part of her convulse in nausea.

"It happened- but it was one time- I don't even remember it… it was after a gig and I remember getting in the car- she asked for a ride and-"

"And you gave her one!" She spat back at him angrily. "If I hadn't found this-" she looked at the torn golden wrapper- torn just like their relationship. "You were never gonna tell me, were you?"

Their voices were giving way to rising.

"I didn't want to hurt you!"

"Thanks for your consideration." She quipped.

He moved from the bed toward her and stopped at the death glare that she gave him.

"Lies, Lies, LIES!"

His sister burst in more than a little concerned that two of the quietest people that she knew were yelling at each other.

"The hell's going on in here?"

"Ask him!"

One look at what was in her friend's hand and the look on her brother's face told her everything she needed to know. She looked back at her friend that now had tears in her eyes. She took a step towards her friend, but the anger that flared up stopped her.

"We should talk about this." The sister spoke quietly.

"No," she looked at him still angry, "I'm done talking." She turned and marched out of the door and straight to her parent's home. There she tried to sit, but the need to 'do' something won out. So, she went to her old closet and found a dress- it wasn't hers but that didn't matter it fit- snugly, but it fit.

_I'm done with torturing myself. I want to be one of those people that can cut loose and have fun. That's what I'm gonna do to…even if it kills me…_

_ She's hot, but hell so was ole' what's her name- oh, you remember her name, but so what? She's gone and you're alone again. Maybe this is better, being alone. I keep hearing that women want a relationship, but apparently not with me. So, fuck it! I'll take a page from my siblings' book and have a good time. Maybe tonight with whoever I just bought that drink for- or whoever._

They turned to each other at the same time and were each a little startled, but that didn't stop them.

"Wanna get out of here?" Her voice was calm, almost serene.

"Yeah," his voice was husky and clear.

They made it to the outside. She pulled him to her along the side of the building in the shadows. Their lips met in a hot kiss that had them practically devouring each other. His fingers dug into her waist and hips as he pulled her as tightly to him as he possibly could. Her hands were in his hair but quickly went to the muscular back and as far down to his buttocks as possible. Her lips soon broke away to go to his neck and earlobe, while her hands made fast work of unbuttoning his shirt. He silently cursed when she had taken her lips away, but in doing so she had also allowed him to have free regain on the body that the dress she was wearing was hugging. He enjoyed her teasing of him, but he grew impatient and felt he needed to reciprocate. He brought her mouth back up to his and then dipped his head to mimic her slightly roughened biting and teasing of his neck on her. He offhandedly wondered where her hands had gone, but soon found that she had managed to discard of her panties by hiking up her dress without disturbing his ministrations. He had un zipped the back of her dress and was now pulling the top down so that he could have access to the breasts that he immediately began to suck and tease with his teeth through the bra. Their breathing was jagged with their mounting passions. She unbuckled, then unzipped his pants so that she could take hold of stiff member. He gave a deep sound much like a growl. This only made the moisture between her legs grow to coat the insides of her thighs. After retrieving a condom from is billfold and putting it on, he cupped her bottom and raised her so that she could position their joining, but his mouth never left her breast. The movement during his sucking and biting made her moan even more. She teased them both by using the tip of his manhood to trace the slickness of her lips, then placed it at the entrance that throbbed in union with his. He thrust forward, and both gave a muffled half cry. Their bodies moved together in a rhythm that pushed them both towards the same goal. She came hard and so did he soon after. She unwrapped her legs from around him and began to straighten up her mussed dress while he rebuttoned his shirt, pulled up his pants, and zipped them up.

"Well that was intense." His voice was deep and soft at the same time. His eyes were on her as she smoothed out her dress and rested her eyes squarely on him.

"Yeah." She watched him in the half light cast from the front of the club. His hair was a dirty blonde that now hung loosely around his shoulders. His body was muscular, but not too meaty and yet larger than a swimmer's build. "See you round." She turned and headed towards her car.

"…. yeah…see ya…" he watched her walk away noting that she looked just as good leaving with that auburn hair hanging tousled down her back still damp with the smell of their union on her body.

Once in her car she saw him going to his and it didn't escape her that he had strong muscular legs in those jeans that she had been so eager to get into. She gave an inward smile.

_Je ne regrette rien…_

Lunch…

Daria watched with fascination as Jane maneuvered her way through the kitchen and its various drawers as well as the stove. Jane was making lunch and as skeptical as Daria was, she'd agreed to come over. Jane hadn't broached the subject of her brother, but Daria knew that it was the main reason that Jane wanted her there.

_ Doesn't matter Lane, I blew off some steam and I'm relaxed and calm…._

_ Why the hell is she so calm? She should be angry or hurt or …something! Damn it, Trent!_

Jane placed a plate of food before her best friend. To Daria's surprise, it smelled and looked appealing.

"Are you going to talk to him?" Jane finally asked once she had sat down and dug into her mashed potatoes.

Daria chewed the piece of chicken a bit longer to prolong her answer and then it was very succinct to Jane's dismay.

"We've said all there is to say."

"You know that he was only trying to protect you fro-"

"From his cheating? I don't need him to protect me." Daria continued to eat and speak. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

_Somethings not right. She's…different…_

"Where did you go last night?"

Daria took a sip of her drink to avoid Jane's eagle eyes.

"To a bar."

Jane looked at her skeptically.

_Yeah, right…_

"Right, why didn't you answer your phone?"

_Cause I was fucking a random stranger…_

"I was- blowing off some steam."

Jane studied her friend unsure of what was going on with her.

"What _exactly_ were you doing?" Jane demanded.

"If you must know- _Helen_, I went to a bar, picked up a guy and did the dirty-" Daria was angry that her friend wasn't on her side in this. Trent was her brother, but…

"Daria-"

"Not only that _mom_, we did it on the side of the building and it was hot!"

"DARIA!"

"WHAT!"

She looked at her friend and realized that Jane wasn't looking at her anymore, but instead at the entrance to the kitchen. She turned to look into the pain filled eyes of Trent. He looked horrifically frozen. All three stood in awful silence, none of them knowing what to do next. A voice from the front door broke Jane away first.

"Anyone in the old homestead?" a male voice called out. "It's me…" a male figure came up behind Trent.

"Hey Wind," Jane said in a voice that sounded alien to her own ears.

He clamped a hand on Trent's shoulder.

"What's happening little brother?"

Trent's eyes still burned into Daria's willing her to take back what she had said, but that would not happen. He snatched away and headed down the hallway towards his room.

"What's wrong wi-" he stopped midstride once he'd gotten completely in the room. She had been on his mind since last night's encounter and now she was sitting in his family's kitchen like a permanent fixture. "You…!"

Daria's eyes had practically bugged out of the sockets. Jane watched the interaction with a sinking sense of dread.

"Don't tell me that this," Jane pointed to her brother, "was your side of the building romp?" her voice was incredulous. Daria looked away guiltily. "Of all the people in this world…"

"What?" Wind's voice was insulted. "What's wrong with me?"

_Where should I begin?_

"For one thing you had sex with your brother's girlfriend."

Jane retorted.

Wind looked shocked and his eyes snapped back to Daria's chalk white face.

"I didn't know….."

"Neither of us did…" her voice was hoarse, and she felt like she might puke.

"Aren't you married?" Jane asked annoyed at her brother for making this messy situation even more messy and possibly beyond repair.

"No, that's one of the reasons I came back here…to clear my head." He looked away briefly before allowing his eyes to settle back on Daria. "Why'd you cheat on my brother?"

Daria looked at him and almost laughed.

"We had a fight and broke up."

"Is that the kind of thing that you do whenever you guys fight?"

_ Damn she's got that hair in a ponytail… it felt so soft and smelt so good when I buried my face in it._

"Wouldn't know since he and I never fight." Daria spoke calmly but firmly.

He looked at her skeptically.

"We can disagree, but we never fight- at least not before…" she remembered the awful things that were said and closed her eyes against them briefly.

_ I can't believe he heard me say what I said…he looked so hurt…wait a minute! He cheated on you; at least you were broken up when you did it…but with his brother- Oh God! I've got to-_

"Daria, where are you going?" Jane's voice called after her as she fled the kitchen forgetting her purse and everything else. All she knew was she had to get out of there.

She found herself outside her old home. Familiarity and all of that she supposed. She entered and was greeted by her father in the kitchen.

"Hey kiddo. Want some lunch?"

She looked at her dad and against everything her head was telling her, she promptly burst into tears. Jake was immediately alarmed and went to hold his girl as best as he could. She never cried, even when she had a scabbed knee. She would be angry, but she never cried. He maneuvered them to the sofa and let her cry until she was only sobbing.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"No…" sniff.

"Okay."

She tried to shift away, but Jake wouldn't allow it. It felt nice to be needed and he wanted to help in any way that he could. He stroked her hair and ignored the phone that was ringing.

Morgendorffer residence, nighttime…..

Jake knocked on the door to his daughter's room.

"Honey, Jane is here to see you."

Daria rolled over to face the door then sat up once her father had allowed Jane to come in. Jane stood a bit awkwardly a few steps in the door.

"I'm not sure what to say." Jane spoke in a low voice.

"Me either."

Jane moved and sat beside her friend.

"He messed up."

"-but I messed up spectacularly." Daria said around a sniff. "Of all the things that would come between us. I never thought…"

"You should at least try and talk things out. See what comes of it."

Daria smiled sadly at her friend clinging to something so far out of reach.

"I can't face him after what he overheard and to find out who it was with-" she closed her eyes tightly for a moment. "I wanted to hurt him back, but not like this."

She felt Jane's arm around her and feared that she would cry again, but she didn't. She simply leaned on her friend and that was how they stayed for a while.

"I brought your car, but not your clothes…. I thought you would want to pack them…or…...something."

"I can't go back there. If I see him-"

"You won't see him. He's at Jesse's. Said he'd be there for a while. He took some clothes, so I'm thinking it'll be a few days."

_Cause he sees you in every part of that house and he can't deal with it. _

"Okay. I'll give you a ride back so that I can get my stuff."

"Tonight? Are you sure?"

"I'd rather do it as soon as possible if you don't mind."

Jane looked at her friend sadly.

After much reassurance that she was okay, Jake let Daria go with her friend and the promise of calling him if anything should happen. She felt like a stranger as she entered the house now. Where once she had felt the comfort of an open invitation and like-minded souls, she now felt like an outsider trying to worm her way into a party that she should have never been invited to. Jane stood just behind her at the entrance to the room that she had been sharing with Trent. She wanted to move, but everything in there was so him and them that she didn't know where she began, and he ended.

_I got those sheets so that we could sleep soundly together… cozy weekends… lazy Saturdays that turn into lazy Sundays…that's the green shirt that he kissed me in the first time he said that he loved me… _

"I can help if you tell me what to do." Jane offered stepping past her.

Hearing Jane's voice seemed to snap Daria out of her wallowing. Daria went to the dresser and cleared out the few things that she had from the drawers where Trent had made room for her. She remembered him standing there in his torn at the knee jeans and gray tee presenting her with an option other than the room down the hall since they were a couple. She had allowed herself to get swept up in the romance of 'playing house' for the summer before returning to college, that she didn't think everything through, but even if she had thought about it. How could she possibly have predicted this horrible chain of events.

_ It took us so long to get together and look at what we did…Look at what I did…with his brother. He'll never be able to forgive me for that. Every time he looks at me he would remember… and I never want to see that kind of pain in his eyes. I can't possibly face him._

Jane watched her friend with mixed feelings. It had taken them what felt like forever to get together and now, what? This can't just be over.

_ Why would you guys do this to yourselves? Why would you do it to me? Why… seems like even when I hand pick a family, it's fucked up too…_

"Jane?" Wind poked his head into the room and was surprised to see Jane and Daria in there.

"Yeah?" Jane was still annoyed with his role in the whole thing. Yes, he didn't know who Daria was when it happened, but it still happened.

"Where's Trent? I thought I would talk to him. See if I could help."

"You've done enough." Jane looked at her brother squarely.

"That's not fair." Wind's voice was deep and firm.

"None of this is fair." Jane's voice was low and angry.

Daria listened to this exchange and the guilt just kept piling up.

_How is it, he could cheat but when it's all said and done- I'm the worst of the worst? Cause you took it to a whole nother level. _

She closed her eyes briefly before gathering her things and heading past the brother/sister duo and to her car.

"Daria wait," it was Wind's voice calling for her. He took the last few steps in a light jog toward her and stopped to look down at the captivating young woman. He really had no idea what he wanted to say, only that he needed to say something. "What are you going to do?"

She looked up into features that were so like his brothers and a part of her deep inside swelled to almost weeping status.

"Finish school." She gave a weak smile, then quipped, "don't worry, I don't plan on further corrupting your brother."

"I'm sorry about how I was the other night- you know, when I found out who you were and stuff."

She nodded and got into her car. He watched her with no small amount of fascination until she was out of sight.

"You're into her." Jane's voice snapped him out of his memories of the moments that they had shared.

"Trying to figure out how to fix things with her and Trent." He responded.

_That's not a denial…_

"Leave it alone Wind. Let them deal with their relationship." Jane advised.

_ …if there's a relationship left…_

A few evenings later at the Morgendorffer residence…

"We both messed up, but we can fix this. I know we can."

Daria looked at Trent as he stood on the step outside her parent's home. He looked tired… she was tired….

"Shouldn't we wonder what was wrong in the first place to make us turn to someone else?"

"I was drunk, wasted and you were justifiably angry."

He wanted to touch her. He wanted to hold her.

"I need you in my life Daria."

_ …_…and I need you too my love…

She was glad for the darkness so that he could not see the tears in her eyes.

"I don't think-"

She felt his hands on her arms then she was enveloped in a fierce embrace. Trent's face was buried in her hair and her body trembled as it remembered how wonderfully it fit to his. She indulged in this wonderful feeling and wished that it would never end. His kisses were promises that made her heart ache. All too soon though, she drug her lips away from his on a choked sob. He still held her unwilling to give up.

"We- I- I can't." she sniffed loudly and tried to quiet herself.

"You can," he kissed her forehead. "We can. Just say yes."

"It was your brother," she practically whispered. She felt him stiffen. "I didn't know it was him in the bar that night…"

She couldn't look at him. She didn't dare. She felt the coldness set in as his arms fell away. He said nothing. He simply stood there.

"I'm sorry…..."

_…my brother…? That's not possi- she's just trying to punish me for what I did, that's all…_

He looked at the bowed head and averted eyes and knew that she was speaking the truth.

"I don't care."

She couldn't have heard right.

"We can work through this."

She closed her eyes tightly against the words that she so desperately wanted to believe. He tried to get her to look at him, but she couldn't.

"I want to believe it but-"

"Then believe it- believe me." Trent insisted using his thumbs to gently stroke the sides of her face. "We can get through this together. Like I said, we both made mistakes."

She raised tear filled and fearful eyes to his and found in the shadows cast that his eyes mirrored hers. He pulled her into his arms then and gently they rocked back and forth. This tenuous restarting of their relationship was the only thing that tethered them in any form of reality.

Lane house later that evening….

Jane watched as Wind poured himself some of the Kool-Aid that he had made earlier. She always had mixed feelings when it came to her other siblings. She had felt that they had abandoned her like her parents did, so Trent and the band were her family. Her biological siblings would occasionally invade the homestead to regroup or whatever and she would avoid them until their various crisis were over. Now here was Wind, her oldest brother- biologically anyway and he had managed to wedge himself in the middle of her best friend and her closet family effectively undoing the whole structure of what Jane considered the best version of family that she could imagine.

"What is it Jane?"

"What were you talking to Daria about?" she had seen him follow Daria to the car.

Wind took a sip of his drink and shut the refrigerator. Jane joined him at the table when he sat down.

"I asked her what she was going to do."

"Why does it matter to you?" Jane's suspicious nature flew to the front lines.

Wind eyed his little sister.

_Fiercely protective, aren't you? For whom though? Trent or your best friend? Certainly not for me._

"She's important to Trent."

Jane folded her arms across her chest and raised a brow.

_Really Wind? Where were you when there was no food in the house and Trent would sneak into the park and play for cash when he thought that I was asleep?_

"You guys are my family and I was hoping that we could-" he searched for the right words, "connect or something."

"So, I take it wife number four is gone?" Jane immediately regretted her sarcastic quip upon seeing the pain that flickered over Wind's face.

"You could say that." He took another drink of the sugary drink. .

"What happened?" Jane watched Wind. He wasn't his usual emotionally wrecked self. He seemed hurt, but somehow stronger.

"Emily said that we wanted different things."

_Turns out, I wanted her and a family, but she wanted anyone else except me._

"Any chance of reconciliation?"

_She terminated our pregnancy without even telling me, so no._

"Don't think so. She wants to focus on her career." He took the last long swallow of his drink. "How's college life for you Jane?"

_Wow didn't know you were even aware that I was going to college._

"It's fine- good actually."

"You had a showing of some of your stuff a few months ago. It was nice."

"I didn't see you there."

"I was there scouting some new talent for the store." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Dropped by to see you and some guy in one of the apartments said that you had some big art show on campus, so I went to have a look."

"Why didn't you come over and say hi or something?"

_You were there with everyone giving you your deserved praise and accolades and you had Trent, Jesse and those guys for support. You looked happy. I would have brought you down with my shit that I had going on then…_

"I was only there for a minute…"

"A Lane that turned down a free spread of food?" Her voice was playful.

The side of his mouth picked up reminding her of Trent whenever he found something particularly funny.

"I never said that I didn't take something to go." Wind waited a beat. "Do you think Trent will… be okay?"

"…yeah, it'll take time though."

"I'm gonna tell him- about my part."

Jane just looked at him.

"He's my brother. He has a right to know."

"Yeah, I do." Trent's voice caught them both by surprise from the doorway. His red rimmed eyes bore into his older siblings angrily.

"She told you…" Wind stood but didn't move

"Of course, she did."

"I didn't know who she was."

"Would it have mattered?"

_A_re you kidding me?

"Of course, it-" Wind ran a hand through his dirty blonde locks. "Man, you're my brother and that means something. Maybe we weren't that close growing up but we're adults now."

"And what? We can bond over how we both-"

"Trent don't," Jane interrupted.

Trent looked as though he had just realized that Jane was in the room.

"It's okay Jane. Let him get it out."

"Gee, thanks bro. Any other tips you wanna pass along?" Trent and Wind looked at each other for a while. "Why are you in town anyway? Besides, you know, messing with my life."

"Looks to me like you were already doing that yourself." Wind retorted. "You did cheat on her first right? Isn't that why she was at that bar?"

Trent's eyes narrowed angrily. He only comes to town when he's got another failed relationship under his belt and now brother dear was trying to ruin his.

Wind glared. He knew that Trent would be angry, but he had also hoped that he would see that it wasn't his fault. Trent was the catalyst here for his infidelity.

"Why don't we go to our neutral corners guys?" Jane made her presence known again. "It's a messy situation, but I know that if we want things to work, we can." She looked from one to the other. "I'm only here for a couple more weeks. Can't we… try?"

"Sure," Wind responded first.

"Okay Janey." He looked at his baby sister and knew that for her, he would absolutely try his best.

Trent turned and left the kitchen.

Lane house…..

Daria chopped up the onion while Trent sautéed the meat. It was her first time back in the Lane residence since she had told Trent everything and they were making a stir fry for dinner and then watching a movie. Jane was out and wouldn't be back until late and she hadn't seen Wind- something she prayed to avoid, at least until things were more settled with Trent. She looked at him adding the onions and various things that they had gotten prepped. He hadn't mentioned Wind or what happened. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He also hadn't touched her in any intimate way. It took time she reminded herself.

_I love you… we're gonna be fine. We- I just need some time to get my head around everything. I won't let my insecurities mess us up…_

_What are you thinking about? I hope it's us and moving forward….. oh Trent…my love….. _

"Let's eat." He smiled down at her. He plated their food and they made their way to the front room where the TV was set. The movie was a fantastic adventure that filled the screen with visions of another world. As beautiful as it was, the couple could barely keep their eyes off each other. Neither could tell when it happened but somehow, they were touching shoulder to shoulder. He placed an arm around her shoulders. She lay her head on his shoulder and inhaled his familiar and comforting scent.

_Oh, how I've missed this, missed you, missed us… _

Their noses brushed. Each could feel the others breathe as they leaned in closer and closer for-

"Did someone forget to pay the light bill again?" Wind's voice broke the moment. They didn't pull away, but things certainly felt…colder. "Oh, sorry." He continued to his room leaving behind an awkward silence.

"I should get you back to your folks place…" Trent spoke after a while.

They stood to leave, and Daria found she couldn't take the eggshells anymore. So, she faced him.

"I know it hasn't been that long, but we can't keep doing this." she reached out to touch the side of his face gently. "Kiss me."

"Daria…"

"Let me back in…or let me go."

They looked at each other for a long moment. Then, slowly he leaned down and they kissed. It was gentle and sweet…

…_it was your brother… it was hot… her words floated through his brain. He pulled away turning from her._

She swallowed the hard lump in her throat and moved silently to pick up her purse. She looked back at him once from the doorway. She didn't expect him to follow her, she only wanted to look at him one last time.

_It's okay Trent…you tried…we both tried…_


End file.
